Lakshadweepformerly (1956–73) Laccadive, Minicoy, and Amīndīvi Amindivi Islands,union territory of India. It is a group of some two three dozen islands with a total land area of 12 square miles (32 square kilometres) scattered over 30,000 square miles (78,000 square km) of the Arabian Sea off the southwestern coast of India. The principal islands in the territory are Minicoy and those in the Amindivi group. The easternmost island lies about 185 miles (300 kilometreskm) off from the western coast of the state of Kerala. Ten of the islands are inhabited. The administrative centre is Kavaratti. The name Lakshadweep means “Hundred Thousand Islands” in the Malayālam Malayalam language and also in Sanskrit. Physical and human geographyThe landThe Amīndīvis are the Area 12 square miles (32 square km). Pop. (2008 est.) 69,000.

Land

Relief, soils, and climate

The islands of Lakshadweep are small, none exceeding 1 mile (1.6 km) in breadth; the Amindivis are the northernmost islands of the group, and Minicoy Island is the southernmost . All but one of island. Almost all the inhabited islands are coral atolls. The higher eastern sides of the islands are the most ideally suited for human habitation, while the low-lying lagoons on the western sides protect the inhabitants from the southwest monsoon. The islands are small, none exceeding one mile in breadth. The sandy soilssoils of Lakshadweep are generally sandy, derived from the coral, support rich growths of coconut palms and perennial garden plants. Cyclones moving up .

Throughout the year, temperatures in Lakshadweep generally range from about 70 °F (about 20 °C) to nearly 90 °F (about 32 °C). Cyclones moving across the Arabian Sea rarely cross strike the islands. However, but the winds and waves associated with them can considerably alter the land features considerably.

Plant and animal life

Aside from an abundance of coconut palms, common trees include banyans, casuarinas, pandani (screw pines), breadfruits, tamarinds, and tropical almonds (genus Terminalia). Betel nut and betel leaf also grow in the islands. Among the most notable marine fauna are sharks, bonitos, tunas, snappers, and flying fish. Manta rays, octopuses, crabs, turtles, and assorted gastropods are plentiful. The islands also are home to an array of water birds, such as herons, teals, and gulls.

People

With the exception of the peoples of Minicoy (whose cultures bear some affinity with those of the Maldive Islands to the south), most people

and economy

of Lakshadweep are descendants of migrants from the Malabar Coast of southwest India, who had arrived in the islands sometime before the 7th century CE. After becoming established in the islands, these migrant communities (or their offspring) converted to Islam. Although Islam is the predominant religion in contemporary Lakshadweep, vestiges of the religious and social orientation of the original Hindu migrants are evident in the existence of a matrilineal kinship system and castelike social groups.

Most of the Lakshadweep islanders

are Muslim Mapillas who

speak

Malayālam

Malayalam. Mahi (or Mahl), which is akin to old Sinhalese, is spoken on Minicoy, however.

There is a college affiliated with the University of Calicut in Kerala. The jurisdiction of the Kerala High Court extends over Lakshadweep.

Some people also speak Hindi. The population is concentrated mostly on the islands of Andrott, Kavaratti, Minicoy, and Amini.

Economy

Agriculture and fishing

Coconut palms are the agricultural mainstay of Lakshadweep. Copra is produced and exported to the mainland. In some places the underlying coral has been excised and the tracts fertilized with organic matter; these support , which has allowed the cultivation of bananas, vegetables, edible root crops, and millet.Coir (coconut husk fibre), a state monopoly, is traded for rice from the mainland. Copra also is produced and exported to the mainland.

The chief industry is fishing, and it is supported by boatbuilding facilities and by a cannery on Minicoy that processes tuna. The traditional process of drying bonito also is practiced on Minicoy. The government operates several coir mills, but the manufacture of the fibre—which largely employs women—remains a major cottage industry. Sailors continue their ancient tradition of skilled navigation, and some still sail between the islands and the mainland in distinctive craft called odams.

HistoryMissionary activity in the 7th century AD

Fishing also forms a major segment of the territory’s economy, with tuna as the primary catch. Many fishermen continue an ancient tradition of skilled navigation. Some still sail between the islands and the Indian mainland in distinctive craft called odam.

Manufacturing

Food processing—largely fish-focused—is one of Lakshadweep’s chief industries. There is a tuna cannery on Minicoy, where the traditional process of drying bonito also is practiced. Among the territory’s other manufacturing activities are coir (coconut fibre) production, hosiery production, weaving, and boat building.

Tourism

Although the government of Lakshadweep promotes tourism, the industry is closely monitored to guard against negative environmental impact. Permits are needed to visit the territory. Government-sponsored tour packages are available.

Transportation

Lakshadweep is connected to the Indian mainland by sea and by air. Kozhikode (formerly Calicut), on the coast of Kerala, is the nearest mainland seaport. Kochi, also on the coast of Kerala, is the port of departure and arrival for most passenger ships serving the islands. There is an airport on the island of Agatti, which has regular plane service to and from Kochi. Mainland and interisland helicopter services also are available. There are only a few miles of roads in Lakshadweep.

Government and society

Constitutional framework

The governmental structure of Lakshadweep, like that of most other Indian states and territories, is determined by the national constitution of 1950. The territory is led by an administrator, who is appointed by the president of India. As a very small territory, Lakshadweep consists of a single district, with four subdivisions. The territory falls under the jurisdiction of the Kerala High Court.

Education

Education in Lakshadweep has improved immensely since the mid-20th century, with primary and secondary schools available throughout the islands. Compared with other states and territories of India, Lakshadweep has one of the highest literacy rates. A college affiliated with the University of Calicut (in Kerala) offers baccalaureate degrees in several fields.

History

The islands of present-day Lakshadweep were first mentioned by a Greek sailor in the 1st century CE as a source of tortoise shell. Muslim missionary activity in the 7th century and continued contact with Arab traders eventually led to the conversion of all the islanders to IslāmIslam. Sometime before 1100 a small Hindu kingdom on the Malabār Malabar Coast annexed the islands, and after the fall of the Kulaśekhara Kulashekhara dynasty of Kerala in 1102 they passed to the Kolathiris, another small Hindu dynasty. Later in the 12th century, after a Kolathiri princess married a Muslim convert, a separate kingdom (including the islands that eventually formed Lakshadweep) was set up in the Kannur (Cannanore) area of Kerala in order to protect the Keralan tradition of matrilineal descent.

It is possible that the first European to visit the islands was the Italian explorer Marco Polo—if the “female island” mentioned in his 13th-century travelogues was indeed Minicoy Island, as some have speculated. In 1498 the Portuguese arrived in the islands. They subsequently built a fort to control trade, particularly in coir. Residents of the islands staged an uprising in 1545.

Successive bibis (female rulers) and their husbands ruled the islands , until control of the Amīndīvis passed to Tīpū Sultān northern group of islands, the Amindivis, passed to Tippu Sultan, the sultan of Mysore (now Karnataka), on the mainland, in the 1780s. When Tīpū Tippu was killed in battle with the British in 1799, the Amīndīvis Amindivis came under British control. The bibi and her husband were permitted to retain the other islands and receive income from them in exchange for an annual payment to the British. These payments repeatedly were in arrears, and in 1908 the bibi ceded to the British direct administration of these islands. Sovereignty was transferred to India upon Indian independence in 1947, and the islands were constituted a union territory in 1956.